Canadian Soccer Player Choked by Passenger on Air Canada Flight
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olsword/iStock Editorial/ThinkstockATLANTA) — A Canadian soccer player was attacked Friday night by another passenger on an Air Canada flight from Toronto to Atlanta.
Oliver Minatel, a player with the Ottawa Fury, was sleeping about 30 minutes into the flight when the man seated behind him slipped his headphone cord around his neck and started choking him, Graeme Ivory, the media and communications director for the team, told ABC News.
Ivory said there was no provocation from any of the players or staff and that it appeared the passenger was dealing with mental instability.
Passenger sitting next to Minatel helped restrain the man, along with team members and other passengers nearby.
The Air Canada crew asked Atlanta Police to meet the plane at the gate, and they took the suspect into custody.
No charges have been filed, but the man is undergoing a psychiatric evaluation.
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